Program Associate

The Program Associate will support local and state advocacy campaigns to build thriving communities and reduce incarceration, manage and execute a suite of programmatic tasks, and liaise between internal communications, local media, and our coalition-focused work. The Program Associate is expected to attend community meetings and maintain strong partnerships with local leaders. They will draft program materials, contribute to effective communications strategies, manage coalitions and collaborations with community partners, and advocate to elected and government officials in public meetings.

Ideally, the Program Associate has experience with and a basic understanding of the criminal legal and/or immigration systems in Louisiana.

The Program Associate will work on Vera Louisiana priorities like the Big Easy Budget Coalition and Liberty and Dignity Coalition. They will also work closely with the Communications team on relevant work streams.

• Program & Coalition Support
• Strengthen existing partnerships with local organizations, including those led by system-impacted people to assist coalition leadership in executing local and state campaigns for policy change
• Foster relationships with external partners, including being the primary contact, developing agendas for coalition meetings, facilitating meetings, providing or designating note taking, etc.
• Draft memos, fact sheets, presentations, public comment/testimony and reports that focus on issues related to criminal legal system reform, decarceration, prosecution reform and investments in violence/crime prevention initiatives
• Facilitate and manage working groups within our coalition-based work
• Connect external partners to our resources and internal experts to support key campaigns
• Speak at conferences regarding Institute and initiative work and related areas
• Project Management
• Drive several projects at once and be able to shift priorities, while maintaining timelines and meeting deadlines
• Coordinate with Vera’s Communications, People, Place and Culture, Research, and Vera Tech departments, and/or any other internal Vera teams to push projects forward
• Assist in the review, editing, and development of other program materials, as necessary
• Develop and update internal task management trackers and calendars
• Take notes and track action items in internal and external meetings, helping to manage workflow and priorities
• Communications and Outreach
• Co-develop and co-execute communications and outreach strategy that connects our work with the public
• Help draft talking points, op-eds or other communications materials from Vera Louisiana’s work and share them internally and with external partners as needed
• Co-develop and draft quarterly newsletters to our email list highlighting our work
• Support social media outreach strategies and uplift our traditional media presence
• Submit any inquiries or future projects to the Communications team internal tracker

• Bachelor's degree and 3+ years of relevant experience. In lieu of degree requirement, applicable work or life experience may be considered
• Demonstrated experience with the criminal legal system, public safety policies and practices and public health policies and practices

• Policy and advocacy experience in advancing racial justice, building coalitions, allies, and state strategy
• Deep understanding of the New Orleans and/or Louisiana political ecosystem
• Experience with advocacy campaigns at multiple levels of government
• Experience working in coalitions or organizing
• Experience public speaking or facilitating meetings

• Excellent organizational skills
• Flexibility and ability to prioritize and manage multiple activities in a…